Title

Authors

Home Institution

Carleton University

Publication Date

Fall 2013

Program Name

Argentina: Regional Integration, Development, and Social Change

Abstract

The city of Buenos Aires has some of the lowest rates of teenage fertility in Argentina (Gogna, Binstock, Fernández, Ibarlucía, & Zamberlin, 2008). However, this aggregated number obscures the huge variance within the city. In the most current available data (2010/2012) from the government of the city of Buenos Aires (GCBA) broken down by comunas (areas) highest fertility rate for 15-19 year olds was 81.6 births (per 1000) versus the lowest fertility rate which was only 6.2 (D. d. e. d. GCBA). This discrepancy is huge and reflects the incredible economic disparity in Buenos Aires. The comunas with the three lowest rates of fertility for women 15-19 are also the wealthiest areas of Buenos Aires, while the areas with the three highest rates of fertility are considered the poorest. This stark difference persists even though traditional barriers to family planning resources have been removed by the state. Argentina has mandatory sexual education as well as a national program that distributes many forms of contraception for free. Buenos Aires specifically has over 30 community health centers, which are primarily located in middle class and impoverished neighborhoods, which act as distribution centers for the national contraception program. So why then, if teenagers learn about contraception and have access to a myriad of different forms for free does this huge discrepancy exist between wealthy and impoverished areas?

The answer seems to lie in social constructs within these low-income neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. The poorest areas of Buenos Aires are called shantytowns or settlements and consist of mostly cramped and precarious construction. In Argentina these communities are referred to as villas or villas miserias, directly translated as miserable small town. In general the villas are reclaimed urban space. They are excluded from much of the city, difficult to reach by public transport, and they have developed an incredible stigmatized reputation. This phenomenon, these urban settlements, created an atmosphere where teenagers with children are a normal part of life.

Disciplines

Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Family, Life Course, and Society | Health Services Research | Inequality and Stratification | Maternal and Child Health | Place and Environment | Social and Cultural Anthropology | Social Welfare